DR ANTHONY MELVIN CRASTO,WorldDrugTracker, helping millions, A 90 % paralysed man in action for you, I am suffering from transverse mylitis and bound to a wheel chair,With death on the horizon, This will not stop me, Gods call only..........DR ANTHONY MELVIN CRASTO Ph.D ( ICT, Mumbai) , INDIA 29Yrs Exp. in the feld of Organic Chemistry,Working for GLENMARK PHARMA at Navi Mumbai, INDIA. Serving chemists around the world. Helping them with websites on Chemistry.Million hits on google, world acclamation from industry, academia, drug authorities for websites, blogs and educational contribution

Sunday, 4 September 2016

Ilan Marek

Post doc: University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 1989 in the field of organic chemistry with Prof. Leon Ghosez

Ph.D: University Pierre-et-Marie Curie, Paris, France, 1988

Research Interests

Organic synthesis, stereoselective synthesis.

Research Abstract

We are concerned with the design and development of new and efficient stereo- and enantioselective strategies for the synthesis of important complex molecular structures. We are particularly interested developing carbon-carbon bond forming processes, which efficiently create multiple stereocenters in a single-pot operation. Deep understanding of reaction mechanisms gives insight into the origins of chemo- and stereoselectivity, and governs optimization towards the most efficient and general protocols for our methodologies. Our vision is that we should provide an answer to challenging synthetic problems but it has to be coupled with unique efficiency and elegance.

Zen and the Art of Organic Chemistry

Prof. Ilan Marek

By Gail Lichtman

“I believe that organic chemistry is as much an art as a science. Therefore, my way of doing chemistry is not only to solve scientific problems with improved efficiency but to do so as beautifully as possible,” states Prof. Ilan Marek, the holder of the Sir Michael and Lady Sobell Chair in the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry.

Chemistry was not Marek’s first love. “I wanted to study astrophysics. But an organic chemistry teacher I had caused me to fall in love with the subject. I was struck by the beauty of molecules. I could build as I wished, creating new materials and new entities. I see myself as an architect of molecules.”Beauty and art are not usually the first words that come to mind when speaking of science. But Marek has successfully combined the aesthetic and the scientific throughout his career in organic synthesis.

“Every organic molecule is built by carbon atoms which bond,” he explains. “The essence of organic synthesis is to create more complex molecular architecture from simpler molecules.”

“Synthetic organic chemistry is a science that deals with the building of complex organic molecules from atoms or smaller molecules,” explains Marek. “One of the applications of this new approach is a quick and efficient synthesis of complex natural materials that may be used in the pharmaceutical industry (pharma). Today, the goal is to accomplish more with less. No one can afford to follow the inefficient route of long and tedious synthesis. I try to devise strategies that go from beginning to end with as few interim steps as possible.”

The fewer steps involved, the less waste products created. Marek explains, “Until very recently, in order to get a 1kg end-product, you may need to go through numerous reactions. And you may get at the end 100 kg of waste.”

Marek and his team in the Mallat Family Laboratory of Organic Chemistry have developed a methodology that has resulted in a significant scientific breakthrough.

Marek’s expertise in devising elegant and often environmentally-friendly methods for creating sophisticated molecular frameworks is illustrated in this one-pot, single-reaction process from beginning to end, utilizing readily available raw materials, with minimum waste material. This solution could lead to large-scale reduction in pharma processes and the amount of waste these processes generate.

Published in Nature in November 2012, the solution addresses a specific and difficult problem of chirality in the formation of molecules.

“My way of doing chemistry is not only to solve scientific problems with improved efficiency but to do so as beautifully as possible.”

Chirality refers to a molecule that is not superimposable on its mirror image. “The right hand is a mirror image of the left hand,” Marek provides an example. “No matter how our hands are oriented, it is impossible for all the major features of both hands to coincide. This difference in symmetry becomes obvious if you try to put a left-handed glove on a right hand.”

Many biologically active molecules are chiral, including amino acids and sugars. Understanding chirality could lead to significant advances in drug development and food science. It would also help prevent medical disasters such as the Thalidomide tragedy, which resulted in severe birth defects, and arose out of a misunderstanding of chiral molecular characteristics and behaviors.

Marek was born in Haifa, not far from where his Technion office is today. But when he was one year old, his parents decided to return to France. “We spoke French at home, so I never learned Hebrew,” he recalls.

After completing his PhD at Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris in 1988 and his post-doc at Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium in 1989, he returned to Paris as a researcher in CNRS.

“I became dissatisfied with the French system,” Marek relates. “I left France in 1997 and came back to my birthplace to join the Technion. This is a top-notch department with very warm and motivated colleagues. Interestingly, when I returned to Haifa, my own son was one year old.”

Marek has received numerous honors for his research and teaching, among them the prestigious 2012 Janssen Award for Creativity in Organic Synthesis, the 2012 Israel Chemical Society’s Prize for Excellence, and, in 2010, he was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Lately, he was awarded the European Research Council’s highly competitive Advanced Research Grant.

Marek recently published another new discovery in Nature ... but this is a completely different story!

Innovative Chemistry : Technion Scientists Developed A New Method, The “Zipper Approach,” For Selective Synthesis Of Complex Molecules-

Professor Ilan Marek Photo: Technion’s Spokesperson’s Office

This is a new approach to complex molecular framework for which Professor Ilan Marek from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry received a grant in the amount of 2.4 million Euros from the European Union – it is for “thinking differently about chemical synthesis and going against mainstream wisdom.”

Technion scientists developed a new method, the “zipper approach”, for selective synthesis of complex molecules. This has been reported by the prestigious scientific journal, Nature.

The synthesis of new molecules is central to the development of many areas of science frommedicine to materials science. Since the 19th century, the conventional approach to syntheses of organic materials was through the building of new bonds, mainly carbon-carbon (C-C), while controlling their spatial structure (stereochemistry). But is this the only way to create complex organic molecules, asked Prof. Marek

According to an article published by the prestigious scientific journal, Nature, Professor Ilan Marek and his research team from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, have demonstrated for the first time, a novel approach through selective bond activation that combines the simultaneous activation and fragmentation of otherwise difficult transformations: allylic C-H (H=Hydrogen) and selective C-C bond activations.

To reach this goal, they used a molecule that has on one of its sides some strain, because of a presence of a three-membered ring, and on its other side a double bond. By adding zirconium complexes, they were able to initiate a double bond migration, similar to -the zipping action of a zipper, up towards the three-membered ring, causing a selective cleavage of one carbon-carbon bond of the strained ring.

“It’s much like zipping up your jacket, joining both sides of the zipper from the bottom end and zipping it upwards,” explains Professor Marek. “Sometimes the link between the two sides disconnect when you move the zipper up. We were able to conceive this detachment and fragment it in a premeditative manner to achieve our target.”

This breakthrough is linked to a publication made a year ago, also in Nature, in which Professor Marek’s team reported an innovative approach for creating molecules possessing a specific chiral center in a single-pot operation using only primary material. Up till then, only few scientists reached this point through tedious synthetic approaches.

Both of these groundbreaking studies by Professor Marek have far-reaching implications for the synthesis and development of new drugs and have aroused great interest in the scientific and industrial community. For his “innovative and alternative way of thinking about synthetic chemistry which went against the mainstream” Professor Marek has now received a grant in the amount of 2.4 million Euros from the European Union. He is getting ready to recruit additional researchers to assist in this promising research.

For developing unconventional methods of synthesis, Professor Ilan Marek received in 2012 the Israel Chemical Society (ICS) Award for Excellence and the Janssen Pharmaceutical Prize for Creativity in Organic Synthesis and the Moore Distinguished Scholar Appointment from the California Institute of Technology.

The Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education has been awarded for the fifth consecutive time through a substantial donation towards the promotion of academic education at the Technion, “In appreciation of faculty members, who set an example through their endless contributions to teaching and learning and for their efforts to improve student involvement and sense of belonging to the Technion.”

The eleven faculty members awarded the prestigious Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education are: ·

Professor Joseph Avron, from the Faculty of Physics · Associate Professor Ran El-Yaniv, from the Faculty of Computer Science ·

Associate Professor Shlomo Bekhor, from the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering ·

Professor Joseph Ben-Asher, from the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering ·

Assistant Professor Ayelet Baram-Tsabari, from the Faculty of Education in Technology and Science ·

“Yanai Prize winners are exemplary individuals, and they embody the close ties between research excellence and teaching excellence,” said Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie in his speech at the award ceremony. “The Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education was established in order to improve the quality of teaching at the Technion. A change was apparent from the very first year that it was awarded, and ever since it became a brand synonymous with excellence in teaching.

Technion’s 2016 Yanai Prize award winners are role models; the phrase ‘Yanai Prize winner’ has evolved into a desirable standard for excellence in teaching.” In her speech, Prof. Hagit Attiya, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, said, “Yanai Prize winners are the torchbearer leading the way for others to follow. They are exemplary individuals worthy of imitation. This is the most important and significant award given by the Technion for excellence in teaching, and clearly illustrates and defines the value Technion places on teaching.”

“You don’t view teaching as a burden, but as an opportunity,” said Omar Amit, the Chairman of the Technion’s Student Union (ASAT) at the ceremony. “Studies at the Technion are not easy. Technion students come here to study, not just to pass the time or to please their parents. You understand the power you have in your hands and you give them what they need most – inspiration.”

Moshe Yanai, a global pioneer in the field of information storage, in making his generous contribution, sought to give back to the institute in gratitude for the life skills that he gained during his studies here 40 years ago. Looking back he recalls the years of study at the university had been hard and difficult, and to this end decided together with Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, to contribute 12 million dollars to award lecturers who have demonstrated teaching excellence – a gift that would in turn also greatly benefit Technion students. The prize, which awards 100,000 ILS to each prize winner, will be given over a period of ten years.

In his closing remarks Yanai thanked the Technion for allowing him to meaningfully and effectively contribute to Israeli society. “The Technion helped build the foundations of the State of Israel and has had a tremendous impact on the country’s economic strength; I for one can say that the institute has had a far-reaching influence on my life and I have a lot to be grateful for. It is commonplace that academic institutes rely most on research and publications with teaching taking on a backseat. The significance of this prize is that it places a spotlight on teaching and educating and brings it out to the forefront. Although research and publications are very important, the value of teaching and academic education at the strategic level supersedes them. I would like to thank the Technion President as well as all of the staff members who invested great efforts in turning this dream of mine into a reality. I would also like to express my sincerest gratitude to all of tonight’s award winners who have selflessly placed the interests of the community above their own.”

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DR ANTHONY MELVIN CRASTO, Born in Mumbai in 1964 and graduated from Mumbai University, Completed his Ph.D from ICT, 1991,Matunga, Mumbai, India, in Organic Chemistry, The thesis topic was Synthesis of Novel Pyrethroid Analogues, Currently he is working with GLENMARK PHARMACEUTICALS LTD, Research Centre as Principal Scientist, Process Research (bulk actives) at Mahape, Navi Mumbai, India.

Prior to joining Glenmark, he has worked with major multinationals like Hoechst Marion Roussel, now Sanofi, Searle India Ltd, now RPG lifesciences, etc. He has worked with notable scientists like Dr K Nagarajan, Dr Ralph Stapel, Prof S Seshadri etc, He did custom synthesis for major multinationals in his career like BASF, Novartis, Sanofi, etc., He has worked in Discovery, Natural products, Bulk drugs, Generics, Intermediates, Fine chemicals, Neutraceuticals, GMP, Scaleups, etc, he is now helping millions, has 9 million plus hits on Google on all Organic chemistry websites. His friends call him worlddrugtracker.

He has good proficiency in Technology transfer, Spectroscopy, Stereochemistry, Synthesis, Polymorphism etc.

He suffered a paralytic stroke/ Acute Transverse mylitis in Dec 2007 and is 90 %Paralysed, He is bound to a wheelchair, this seems to have injected feul in him to help chemists all around the world, he is more active than before and is pushing boundaries, he has 9 million plus hits on Google, 2.5 lakh plus connections on all networking sites, 20 Lakh plus views on dozen plus blogs, He makes himself available to all, contact him on +91 9323115463, email amcrasto@gmail.com, Twitter, @amcrasto

He lives and will die for his family, 90% paralysis cannot kill his soul. Notably he has 9.5 lakh views on New Drug Approvals Blog in 211 countries..................click here

He appreciates the help he gets from one and all, Friends, Family, Glenmark, Readers, Wellwishers, Doctors, Drug authorities, His Contacts, Physiotherapist, etc

OLD BIO

DR ANTHONY MELVIN CRASTO Ph.D , Born in Mumbai in 1964 and graduated from Mumbai University, Completed his PhD from ICT ,1991, Mumbai, India in Organic chemistry, The thesis topic was Synthesis of Novel Pyrethroid Analogues,

Currently he is working with GLENMARKPHARMA LTD, Research centre as Principal Scientist, Process Research (bulk actives) at Mahape, Navi Mumbai, India.

Prior to joining Glenmark, he worked with major multinationals like Hoechst Marion Roussel, now Sanofi Aventis, & Searle India ltd, now RPG lifesciences, etc. He has worked in Basic research, Neutraceuticals, Natural products, Flavors, Fragrances, Pheromones, Vet Drugs, Drugs, formulation, GMP etc. He has total 29 yrs exp in this field, he is now helping millions, has million hits on google on all organic chemistry websites.

He has hands on experience in initiation and developing novel routes for drug molecules and implementation them on commercial scale over a 25 year tenure, good knowledge of IPM, GMP, Regulatory aspects, he has several international drug patents published worldwide .

He suffered a paralytic stroke in dec 2007 and is bound to a wheelchair, this seems to have injected feul in him to help chemists around the world, he is more active than before and is pushing boundaries, he has one lakh connections on all networking sites, He makes himself available to all, contact him on +91 9323115463, amcrasto@gmail.com, Twitter @amcrasto